Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 21:44:05 -0600 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Ross Harvey <ross@teraflop.com> Cc: avalon@coombs.anu.edu.au, grog@lemis.com, peter.jeremy@alcatel.com.au, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: StrongARM and history Message-ID: <3563A305.54564AC4@softweyr.com> References: <199805210208.TAA01396@random.teraflop.com>
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Ross Harvey and Greg Lemis argued back and forth:
> >Compaq seem pretty smart people, and all evidence to the contrary, I
> >think that they are not overly interested in being in bed with
> >Microsoft. They build hardware. The NC is hardware. Why shouldn't
> >they be interested? They don't have to be the ones who give it away.
>
> Your statements are correct, as far as they go. But I think what
> you are missing is: [1] the NC is _cheap_ hardware, the high-end
> PC's are (or were, at the time the NC project began) a lot more
> expensive. And [2], note what "DNARD" stands for: "Digital Network
> Appliance Reference Design". "Reference Design" as in: given away,
> with schematics, dimensions, free cool NetBSD software (with some
> FreeBSD stuff, too), and active solicitation for _anyone_ to make
> them. Even if it was exactly a PC there are obvious reasons why
> Compaq _might_ have prefered not to be doing that. I'm not sure how
> big a discussion this is worth, though, since [1] I'm just speculating,
> and [2] we are kind of beating this compaq vs NC point to death.
And you both missed the important point: Compaq didn't get the part
of DEC that makes microprocessors in the great DEC sell-off, Intel
did. The DNARD was a typical effort by microprocessor vendors; look
at examples from Fujitsu (SPARClite), Hitachi (SH series), Sun
Microelectronics (embedded SPARC), etc. Compaq is probably not
interested in DNARD because *they don't own it.*
And give Compaq some credit. They've made a lot of weird machines
over the years, but they pretty much lead the charge into the low-
cost PC market with several of their Presario models. If there is
money to be made in NCs, NPCs, or any other "thin" computers, they
will probably be there, too. This is a market that is still in
its infancy, and will probably be a well-entrenched technology 5
years from now. Right now, it's bleeding edge, from the standpoint
of the hardware, the software, and the 'what to do with it.'
--
"Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"
Wes Peters Softweyr LLC
http://www.softweyr.com/~softweyr wes@softweyr.com
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